Free Web NovelChapter 26: Chapter 26: Zhou Mo, No Longer Obscure
"..."
Chen Fan quickly scanned the few stragglers that had made it past the City Wall. They were speeding through the western side of the camp, and as these Meat Worm Ghosts plunged back into the gray fog, the looks of agony on their human faces vanished, replaced by the same cheerful expressions from before.
But it wasn’t over!
A steady stream of Meat Worm Ghosts continued to pour into the camp. Countless more were rolling about within the gray fog, and even more were surging out of the eternal night into the black mist. There was no telling how many there were.
He stood beside the Level 3 Arrow Tower, its Crossbow Mechanism covered in runes. Without a moment’s hesitation, he stuffed another Ghost Stone into its slot. He waited patiently for a few seconds, and only when enough Meat Worm Ghosts had entered the kill zone did he activate the skill again.
Arrow Rain Storm!
The runes on the crossbow arrows lit up again as they floated into the air, circling the Arrow Tower.
Countless arrows of light shot high into the sky, then rained down, annihilating every Meat Worm Ghost within range amidst the raging storm.
’Eighteen Ghost Stones left.’
He quickly glanced at his remaining Ghost Stones. He could activate Arrow Rain Storm a maximum of 18 more times.
Activating Arrow Rain Storm required a complete Ghost Stone. The stone that had been in the Arrow Tower was partially depleted and couldn’t be used for the Active Skill, so he’d removed it and set it on the walkway atop the City Wall.
One.
Two. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Three.
This seemingly simple camp showed incredible resilience in the heart of the storm. Again and again, Arrow Rain Storm fell, slaughtering the Meat Worm Ghosts that invaded the camp like wolves tearing through a flock of sheep.
The scene was staggering.
But not a single smile could be seen on the faces of Chen Fan and the others. Their expressions were grim, because they all knew the truth: they were running out of Ghost Stones...
Only six Ghost Stones were left.
Enough for six more Arrow Rain Storms.
And still, the Meat Worm Ghosts continued their endless flood, pouring from the eternal night into the gray fog, and from the gray fog into the camp!
Thirty-seven years ago, the rainy season had arrived early, and a Ghost Tide had ravaged the land.
The camps in the Wilderness were all wiped out.
Jiangbei City fell, its people were lost, and not one in a thousand of its citizens survived.
Everyone present knew this history; it was seared into their minds. If they had elders at home who had been lucky enough to survive, they would have heard firsthand accounts of the cruelty and despair of that rainy season thirty-seven years ago.
But...
Hearing about it was one thing.
Seeing it with your own eyes was another entirely.
At this moment, everyone present truly understood what a "Ghost Tide" was: a flood of death, an endless, fearless wave that would keep crashing down until the camp was destroyed.
And at this moment, they also finally understood that even with an Architect to rely on, surviving the rainy season—especially one that had come early—was an impossible dream.
This was a dead end.
Death was certain.
"SPLAT."
A faint impact was heard—the sound of a Meat Worm Ghost that had slipped through striking the City Wall. The ball of flesh instantly burst, and a viscous green liquid began to eat away at the stone.
They had lost count of how many stragglers had gotten through.
Was this the fifth, or the sixth?
Even with Arrow Rain Storm, stragglers would still occasionally get through the kill zone and slam into the City Wall.
They had held on for so long.
But hope hadn’t arrived. Only utter despair.
At first, the number of Meat Worm Ghosts hadn’t been too great, but the tide of Ghosts soon swelled in both number and breadth. They could only kill the Meat Worm Ghosts charging the City Wall. To the West of the wall, even more Meat Worm Ghosts were passing through the camp and rolling on into the darkness.
This was the same side the female ghost had attacked from earlier.
They were on the edge of this Ghost Tide.
A closer look revealed that the entire gray fog to the West was now filled with the figures of Meat Worm Ghosts. No other Ghost Objects could be seen. Like a swarm of locusts, they swept over the entire camp.
To the East, however, there were only two or three stragglers.
The camp wasn’t the target of this horde of Meat Worm Ghosts.
Most of the Meat Worm Ghosts were coming from the dark fog outside, passing the camp as they headed deeper into the eternal night. The camp was just caught in the crossfire. These Meat Worm Ghosts weren’t even trying to kill them, but even so, they had been pushed to the brink of certain death.
"Can we hide by digging a hole?"
Chen Fan shoved another Ghost Stone into the Arrow Tower, his words coming faster. "We abandon the camp. These Meat Worm Ghosts don’t seem to be attacking us directly, and while they’re passing through, other Ghost Objects won’t come near. We can hide in a tunnel, and after the Meat Worm Ghosts have passed, we build a new Ghost Fire."
"No."
Wang Kui shot down the plan instantly. "An Architect can’t build a Ghost Fire in the eternal night."
He wasn’t sure why the chief was unaware of this, but now wasn’t the time to ponder it.
"I’ll go!"
Xiaoyu stepped forward again. He looked up at the rain of arrows shooting into the sky for the umpteenth time, his knuckles white from gripping the corner of his shirt. He spoke in a rush, "A lot of Meat Worm Ghosts have died. There are a lot of Ghost Stones dropped down below."
"I’ll go out and throw the Ghost Stones back over the City Wall with all my might." freёwebnovel.com
"During our talk last night, I didn’t say what my wish was. I want to go home and see it one last time. Brother Wang knows where I live. If you get the chance later, take my ashes home and bury them under the big locust tree at the village entrance."
Xiaoyu had stepped forward once again.
This time was different from the last.
The tide of Meat Worm Ghosts was immense. The moment Arrow Rain Storm fell, there was indeed a brief opening, but that opening would be filled almost instantly by the Meat Worm Ghosts from behind.
Only for an instant.
It wasn’t enough time to get back inside the walls. He would be swallowed by the Meat Worm Ghosts closing in from behind.
And in that one instant, all Xiaoyu would have time for was to quickly scoop a dozen or so Ghost Stones into a sack and hurl it back over the City Wall.
The Ghost Stones would make it over the wall.
The person definitely wouldn’t.
If the last mission was just extremely dangerous, this one was certain death.
The words had barely left his mouth.
Zhou Mo, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly clapped Xiaoyu on the shoulder. He pushed the Big Saber he always carried into Xiaoyu’s arms, his expression calm as he said, "You’re still young. Take care of this saber. It’s been with me for many years."
Then, before anyone could react, he vaulted over the crenelated wall and into the pouring rain, landing steadily on the desolate ground outside the City Wall.
At that exact moment, an Arrow Rain Storm descended.
A temporary clearing appeared in front of the City Wall. Zhou Mo didn’t waste a second. Stumbling through the pools of viscous green liquid, ignoring the searing pain, he frantically stuffed Ghost Stone after Ghost Stone into a cloth bag. He looked up at the horde of Meat Worm Ghosts rushing toward him.
An uncontrollable flicker of fear appeared in his eyes.
He took a deep breath and, with all his might, let out a roar as he threw the bag over the City Wall.
Then, as if all the strength had drained from his body, he stood his ground, tilted his head back to the relentless downpour, spread his arms, closed his eyes, and waited for death. A laugh escaped his lips.
He hadn’t laughed like that in a long time.
"Not bad. I fulfilled my dream before dying."
"I finally got to be a hero."
"What a rush."
